Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) and his crew travel back in time to Earth in the year 2063, where they hope to ensure that the inventor of warp drive (played by James Cromwell) will successfully carry out his pioneering warp-drive flight and precipitate Earth's "first contact" with an alien race. Unlike the previous seven installments in the Star Trek movie franchise, First Contact incorporates the cast of the TV series "Star Trek: The Next Generation".